Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene said there are no motives to arrest military personnel and assured troops that “national security” would be strengthened.

Speaking to a gathering of troops at a ceremony to launch a new benefit scheme for soldiers, Mr Wijewardene was reported as stating “there are no any motives to arrest military personnel or to lessen the strength of the military owing to external factors (sic),” by the Ministry of Defence’s official website.

The Sri Lankan police have refused permission for the launch of a posthumous  book by the LTTE political division's women's wing leader, Thamilini, reported Lanka News Web.

The book, which is said to be an autobiography written by Thamilini prior to her death, has since been spearheaded by her husband.

According to the news site, the police said permission to release the book would only be granted if the photographs of Thamilini wearing her LTTE uniform and that of the Eelam Tamil flag were removed from the cover page.

The chairman of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has written to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the US government to press Sri Lanka to release Tamil political detainees, repeal the PTA and return land held by the military.

Chairman Edward Royce said he supports the increased diplomatic engagement with the Sri Lankan government and pointed out that the Sirisena-administration had made several promises and continues to make "impressive, positive steps".

The Sri Lankan army organised alms giving stalls at the Tamil Hindu Sivarathri festival at several temples in Jaffna.

India's cabinet this week approved another 700 million US dollar currency swap to Sri Lanka's Central Bank, reported Ceylon Today.

India's Reserve Bank had previously provided a 400 million dollar swap. The current arrangement will last for 3 months or until an agreement is reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

See more here.

The decision comes as the IMF teamed up with India to produce a new partnership aimed at keeping South Asian economies stable.

Sri Lanka’s finance minister announced his government would be raising taxes as part of a drive to improve its debt rating and reduce the budget deficit.

Stating that the imposition was a necessary measure, Mr Ravi Karunanayake said his government would be raising Value Added Tax and reintroducing capital gains taxes.

"We want to tax the top end of [the consumer], which basically consumes, rather than the downtrodden,” he said.

"Imposing new taxes is a hard-sell, but what more can you do?"

However the taxes are expected to hit Sri Lanka's economically disadvantaged too. The reforms will lead to price rises in "a variety of goods and commodities", according to the Sunday Times.

"[The] price of a kilo of Prima flour went up by Rs. 7.20. This will raise the price of bread, a common diet among Sri Lankans, to a new high," the paper said in its political column.

Mr Karunanayake also slammed recent decisions to downgrade Sri Lanka’s credit rating as "absolutely unfair".

The Sri Lankan state is still practising “serious discrimination” against Tamils on the island and continues its military occupation of the North-East, Northern Province Councillor Ananthy Sasitharan told the UN Human Rights Council this week.

“The systematic structural genocide is continuing,” said Ms Sasitharan. “The Tamil nation is still under military occupation,” she said, adding that “there is no point in talking about accountability while we are all under military occupation”.

Noting that the Sri Lanka government still continues to practise “serious discrimination”, Ms Sasitharan said “there has been no real change for the Tamil people”. “A real reconciliation could only come through demonstrating serious commitment to resolve the conflict and address the wounds,” she continued.

Drawing the Council’s attention in particular to the plight of Tamil women in the North-East, Ms Sasitharan said:

“I witnessed the situation of those [who] were handed over to the SL military that announced general amnesty through loud speakers on 18 May 2009. I am a living witness to this. I handed over my husband through Catholic Father Francis Joseph on 18th of May 2009.”

Both Ms Sasitharan’s husband, LTTE member Ellilan, and Father Francis Joseph, are currently missing, last seen in Sri Lankan military custody on that day almost 7 years ago.